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Rose: Looking To Prove ‘Haters’ Wrong

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 14: Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls, held out of the game with a sore back, watches his teammates take on the Sacramento Kings at the United Center on February 14, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Kings 121-115. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)Derrick Rose. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

(WSCR) Derrick Rose seemingly says all the right things.

Whether he’s asked about his future, the Bulls or his injured knee, the point guard always seems to come up with something to excite the fans of his hometown Chicago. Speaking publicly for the first time since he tore his ACL in April, Rose told Comcast Sportsnet’s Aggrey Sam that his latest set back will only add fuel to his fire.

And for those who think Rose won’t be the same player when he returns, the former MVP of the league has a message for you.

“I know it’s going to push me even harder,” Rose said. “It seemed like I missed all last year — played games here and there, but I still missed a lot of games — and this year, I know a whole bunch of haters out there are saying so many things,” Rose said. “I think that’s what’s going to drive me, thinking about what people are saying — ‘Is he going to be back, is he going to have his speed,’ or this and that — I know that’s going to push me as a player. I’m listening and watch everything, and if I don’t hear it, best believe one of my friends hears it and they’re telling me. That’s why I love them to death because they know that motivates me and makes me want to do better as a player.”

Rose even said this injury has helped him discover aspects of his game he otherwise wouldn’t have.

“That’s what I’m thinking of right now. This is actually going to be the foundation of everything. I’m actually learning how to work parts of my body that I’ve never used before. Naturally, I’m just gifted. My balance wasn’t that good. I remember coming in my rookie year and the trainers and everybody on staff were like, ‘How do you play the way you play and you can’t even balance on one foot for that long? How do you move that way?’ Or not being flexible with the way that I play. One of the tightest guys muscle-wise, just super-tight; they never saw that and me playing the way that I play, it’s just weird.